DOJ investigates George Mason University in second probe over DEI, antisemitism on campus

The US Department of Justice has opened a second civil rights investigation into George Mason University (GMU), intensifying scrutiny of the Virginia-based public institution's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices.

The investigations, launched by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, center on whether GMU has violated federal anti-discrimination laws by using race and sex as determining factors in hiring, admissions, and student aid decisions.

The latest probe, announced on Wednesday, will assess whether GMU engaged in discriminatory practices against students based on race, color, or national origin. The inquiry will be conducted under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits recipients of federal financial assistance from discriminating in programs or activities on the basis of race or national origin.

According to the Justice Department, the investigation will focus specifically on GMU’s admissions processes, the allocation of student benefits and scholarships, and the university’s response to antisemitism on campus.

“Public educational institutions are contractually obligated to follow our nation’s federal civil rights laws when receiving federal funds,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, who heads the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. “No one should be denied access to opportunity or resources because of their race, color, or national origin, and the United States is committed to keeping our universities free of such invidious bias.”

The student-centered Title VI investigation follows the DOJ’s announcement last week of a separate but related probe into GMU’s faculty hiring and employment practices. That initial inquiry was launched under Section 707 of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which bars employers, including public universities, from discriminating in employment decisions based on race, sex, religion, or national origin.

In a letter to GMU’s Board of Visitors, the Justice Department said it had “reasonable cause to believe” the university may be engaged in a pattern or practice of unlawful discrimination in employment. The DOJ cited public statements, internal documents, and university communications suggesting that GMU may have implemented explicit and implicit quotas or diversity targets that shaped hiring and promotion outcomes.

Among the materials reportedly under review are statements from President Gregory Washington and other university officials describing goals to hire a set percentage of faculty from “underrepresented” groups, internal documents listing “diversity hires” as a performance benchmark for department chairs, and emails indicating that some job candidates were passed over in favor of others who better matched racial or gender criteria.

Dhillon said when the first investigation was launched, “It is unlawful and un-American to deny equal access to employment opportunities on the basis of race and sex. When employers screen out qualified candidates from the hiring process, they not only erode trust in our public institutions, they violate the law, and the Justice Department will investigate accordingly.”

The DOJ has not disclosed the full range of evidence supporting its decision to investigate but emphasized that it would take legal action if necessary.